


Passage of Time

by In_a_Mossy_Grove



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: In this house we yearn respectfully, Nonbinary My Unit | Byleth, Other, Post-Time Skip, The Golden Deer - Freeform, Yearning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:41:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28489251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/In_a_Mossy_Grove/pseuds/In_a_Mossy_Grove
Summary: After five long years Byleth has returned to them, and Claude isn't sure his heart can handle it.
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan
Comments: 1
Kudos: 29





	Passage of Time

Claude didn’t believe in miracles. There was nothing in life that could be attained through the ever changing whims of the gods or by sheer luck. He had ambitions just like everyone else, but he knew full well that they would never come to pass if he waited for a goddess to hand him the opportunities. If the world needed to be changed then Claude was going to have to go out and wrestle it into submission himself. 

Claude didn’t believe in miracles, but Byleth’s return felt like a gift from the goddess.

To see her standing before him, framed in the light of the morning sun, almost had him in tears. He had grown so used to the hollow ache that had festered in his chest for five years that to have her presence back felt like a stake in his heart. 

The fact that he had managed to keep it together and strike up casual conversation over a meal was a surprise even to him. It was easier to hide his nerves when they were in battle, when he could keep a careful eye on her from a distance. 

Byleth looked exactly as he remembered her, from the bits of lace that patched the holes in her trousers to the stray hairs that stubbornly refused to stay in the messy ponytail she pulled back for battle. Looking at her made him feel like he had aged a hundred years instead of just five. Claude wanted to frame her image in his mind in case he looked back and she had vanished into thin air like she did in his nightmares. 

He found solace when Hilda appeared in a blaze of glory, tossing her pink hair over her shoulders and charging forward. Then the rest of his old friends appeared and joined the fray, the Golden Deer returning home to the monastery. 

When the fight was over and the bandits were routed, Claude landed and dragged Hilda into a crushing hug. 

“ _ Oof! _ ” She stumbled from the impact before wrapping her arms around him and squeezing tightly. “It’s good to see you again!” 

“You’re my hero.” Claude released her and stepped back with a smile, taking in her appearance. There was a smudge of dirt across her cheek, the single blemish on her otherwise spotless and refined ensemble. 

Raphael’s booming voice called their attention as he clambered over the remnants of a house and laid eyes on the people assembled. “Professor?! You’re alive!” 

Byleth turned from her conversation with Leonie to greet him as he jogged towards her, a brilliant smile on her lips. Reaching out she took Raphael’s face in her hands and turned it from side to side, checking for wounds like she used too after every battle. 

She released him so her hands were free to sign, “ _ You’ve gotten stronger.”  _

Raphael practically began to glow beneath her praise, his smile so brilliant that Claude felt a stab of nostalgia. If he closed his eyes he could almost imagine that they were back in their school days, lounging around the training grounds instead of standing on old ruins. 

He forced himself to focus on Byleth as she took her time with each of her beloved deer, cradling their faces and beaming with pride. Everyone came alive around her, showing more happiness and fire than Claude had seen in any of his friends in a long time. Lorenz had to stoop so she could get a better look at him, basking in a familiar touch. Leonie had relieved tears in her eyes and even Marianne was fighting to hide the joy she felt at being able to reunite with their professor. 

Then she turned to Claude and held out her hands for him. 

“Me?” He raised an eyebrow, hiding the way his heartbeat spiked behind an easy laugh. “You’ve already seen me, Teach.” 

“ _ Get over here, Riegan.”  _ Her motions were sharp and punctual, but the smile playing on her lips told a different story. With a dramatic sigh and a roll of his eyes he stepped forward and relented to her inspection. 

It was an impossible task  _ not _ to blush beneath her touch and scrutinizing eye. With the added pressure of his friends watching, Claude had to accept that his face was going to be nearly as red as Leonie’s hair. 

_ “Nice beard. _ ” Byleth signed, drawing her fingers along her jaw in a representation of his facial hair.

“Wow.” Claude drawled, scratching under his chin. “That bad, huh? Judith told me it looked nice.”

“ _ Well, I can’t argue with that assessment.”  _ With a shake of her head and a small smile, she tugged at the hair near her ear. “ _ I miss the braid.”  _

“He got drunk and cut it off.” Lorenz appeared by his side, twirling a long strand of purple hair around one finger as he spoke. “Broke a table that night too.” 

“Lorenz.” Claude was grateful to have the attention off of him, but he wasn’t happy that Lorenz was ousting him. “We agreed to never speak of that.” 

“Maybe.” Lorenz shrugged and bumped their shoulders together. “It was a hysterical night.” 

“ _ I can imagine. _ ” Byleth seems genuinely interested, but there is a tilt of exhaustion to her hands now. Claude cleared his throat, knowing that Lorenz flinched from clapping, and spoke to the assembled Golden Deer.

“Let’s head up to the monastery, shall we? We can catch up with Teach somewhere a bit more comfortable.” There were murmurs of agreement and scraps of conversation were struck up as they filed back up the hill. He whistled for his wyvern to follow and fell in beside Byleth as they walked. 

Claude felt something pinch his shirt and looked down to see that Byleth was twisting the fabric between her fingers. He gave her a curious look and she looked away for a moment before releasing him. 

“ _ It looked soft. _ ” 

Glancing down at his outfit, he admitted that she had a point. His quilted doublet  _ was _ soft, and warm to protect him from horrible Fodlan winters. Leicester wasn’t as cold as Farghus, but Claude still found himself shivering on winter nights. He longed for a home that was warm and rich, but returning there was a distant dream.

Before he could lose his confidence, Claude linked his arm with hers and pulled Byleth a bit closer. Her lips curled into a soft smile and she tapped one hand against her chin in a gentle  _ thank you. _

He wanted to hold her close for longer, but when they reached the monastery there was a surprise waiting for them. Claude wasn’t necessarily upset to see Seteth back in the marble halls, but suddenly there were responsibilities that he needed to attend too. Between wrangling Hilda and the sudden influx of church soldiers, Claude found himself on his feet until long after the sun had set. 

Exiting the dining hall with a yawn, Claude took a moment to stretch. His back and arms groaned in protest at the movement, his breath ghosting from his lips as he breathed into the cold night. The sky above was filled with stars, brimming with bursts of light and gentle swirls of blue and purple. 

It felt strange to be back in familiar halls. It was too quiet, even at such a late hour. Five years prior there had always been someone prowling the halls, whether it be guards, visitors from the Abyss or even Bernadetta on her way to get dinner. 

Standing alone on the pavilion with his gaze turned towards the heavens felt... disconnected. It was like lingering too long in the cathedral during the early hours of the morning, or walking through the site of a fresh battle. 

A hand found its way to his shoulder and Claude jumped, startled from his spiraling thoughts. Byleth stepped up beside him, her brows furrowed in concern. 

“You scared me, Teach.” He let out a soft laugh. “Can’t sneak up on a person like that.” 

“ _ Are you okay? You looked sad.”  _

The smile fell from his face and he scuffed the toe of one boot against the stones. “Just lost in my thoughts I guess.” 

She nodded in understanding, blue hair falling loose from its updo and trailing around her face. He couldn’t help but notice again just how tired she is, yet she made no move to leave his side. Finally, she breaks the lull in the conversation with a few signs. 

“ _ Walk with me? _ ” 

He doesn’t love the idea of spending more time in the cold, but for Byleth he would tough it out. “Course.” Byleth led him along the familiar paths, their trail lit by gentle torchlight. She reached back and grabbed his hand, weaving their fingers together. 

He stared at their entwined fingers for the rest of their walk, fixated by the feeling of their hand in his. So many times he had dreamed of seeing her again, of running to embrace her only to find smoke drifting through his fingers. After so long, it was hard to believe she was really back. By the time they reached the goddess tower, he was barely aware of the time it had taken. 

Byleth released his hand when they arrived at the top floor, shuffling over to the railing and leaning against it. Claude followed her, letting his gaze drift to the mountains and the clouds. He had always liked the view from the tower, the way that one could see the trees and mountains stretching out for miles. 

When he looked at maps he got tangled in the lines between territories and names, each one forming an intangible barrier towards his dream. When he looked at the scene before him, the future he dreamed of seemed within reach. 

It helped to see Byleth there beside him, staring out at the landscape with a gentle smile. 

“How are you feeling, Teach?” Claude rested a hand on their arm. “You look tired.” 

_ “I am. _ ” She shrugged, not tearing her eyes from the scenery. “ _ But I’m glad to be back here with everyone, even if so much has changed. _ ” 

“I can imagine a five year nap would do that to you.” He hummed.

A tense flash of sadness graced their features before smoothing out again. “ _ It wasn’t five years for me. It felt like a single night's sleep, if that.”  _

Claude stared at her for a long moment, the reality of their situation hitting him like a cold wind. “Really? So it was as if you fell off the cliff and then… just woke up?” Byleth nodded, their mouth twisting into a grimace. He felt bad for bringing it up, especially after a long day of battle and work. 

He gave Byleth the warmest smile he could muster, nudging their with his elbow. “Don’t look so sad, Teach. You’re beloved little fauns will help you get caught up. We’re just happy to have you back home where you belong.” 

Byleth smiled back, the light and warmth returning to their green eyes. With one hand they reached out and rested their hand on his cheek, their skin cold and calloused from battle. With the other they pressed the tips of their fingers to their chin and moved them away.

_ “Thank you.”  _


End file.
